Both the next James Bond movie and actor have been subject to much speculation ever since Daniel Craig announced he’d be retiring as the iconic MI6 intelligence officer post-No Time To Die.
Considering it’s been well over half a year since the delayed 25th franchise instalment directed by Cary Joji Fukunaga hit theatres, you’d think MGM/Amazon would already have a game plan drawn out. Right? Wrong.
During a recent dinner honouring veteran Bond producers Barbara Broccoli (daughter of Cubby Broccoli) and Michael G. Wilson (half-brother of Barbara) after being presented with their BFI Fellowships, Bond fans learned they might have to wait.
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“Nobody’s in the running,” Bond producer Barbara Broccoli said in her speech.
“We’re working out where to go with him, we’re talking that through. There isn’t a script and we can’t come up with one until we decide how we’re going to approach the next film because, really, it’s a reinvention of Bond.”
“We’re reinventing who he is and that takes time. I’d say that filming is at least two years away.”
Daniel Craig departed the James Bond franchise after five films – Casino Royale, Quantum of Solace, Skyfall, Spectre, and of course, No Time To Die – moving on to an extremely lucrative multi-film deal with Netflix involving Rian Johnson’s Knives Out. [SPOILERS] In light of the fact No Time To Die closed the chapter on his iteration of 007 by killing him off, the slate has essentially been wiped clean for Bond 26.
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Will Tom Holland Be The Next James Bond? Probably Not…
The latest frontrunner nominated by inside sources and the rumour mill is none other than Tom Holland.
Speculation is once again on the rise after the 25-year-old young gun’s contract with Marvel ends. And while his tenure as Peter Parker/ Spider-Man has tentatively been renewed by Marvel Studios President Kevin Feige in the verbal sense – who confirmed both Holland’s Spider-Man and Charlie Cox’s Matt Murdock / Daredevil will lead the MCU’s “street-level” superheroes – heavy-duty franchise commitments won’t be on the cards for some time.
Funnily enough, during his appearance on Late Night With Seth Meyers, Tom Holland revealed he’d pitched a 007 origin film to Sony.
“It didn’t work out quite as planned,” admitted Tom Holland.
“Essentially, I’m such a big fan of James Bond. I’ve loved Daniel Craig’s movies. And I just thought: if they were to move on it, it would be really exciting to see how James Bond becomes James Bond.”
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“So, I pitched this idea for a movie, which is kind of a stupid idea. Essentially you wouldn’t tell the audience that it was a James Bond movie until the end, but from a marketing point of view, that’s a nightmare. Like that just doesn’t make any sense.”
Thankfully, the meeting wasn’t a complete failure. The idea of a young Bond led to another major gig: Uncharted.
“The idea of a young Bond film sparked this idea, in turn, that you could do a Nathan Drake story as an origin story, rather than as an addition to the games. And that opened a conversation.”
The swashbuckling video game adaptation in which he co-starred alongside Sophia Taylor Ali and Mark Wahlberg generated over US$400 million (AU$564 million) against a US$120 million (AU$169 million) production budget, once again proving the Brit’s star power.
But as of this week, Tom Holland has officially been taken out of the running.
The Next James Bond Will Be A 30-Something Man
No Time To Die reignited the longstanding debate about whether the franchise should finally introduce the first female Bond. In part due to the fact that Lashana Lynch portrayed an MI6 operative who inherited the 007 moniker after Craig’s James Bond walked away from the spy life. Such an outcome, however, has been ruled out by the custodians this modern mythology. And for good reason.
“I think it will be a man because I don’t think a woman should play James Bond,” said Barbara Broccoli.
“I believe in making characters for women and not just having women play men’s roles. I don’t think there are enough great roles for women, and it’s very important to me that we make movies for women about women.”
“He should be British, so British can be any [ethnicity or race].”
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When prompted about the matter of 007’s gender, Daniel Craig himself echoed the very same sentiments as Barbara Broccoli.
“The answer to that is very simple. There should simply be better parts for women and actors of colour,” he said.
“Why should a woman play James Bond when there should be a part just as good as James Bond, but for a woman?”
Well-informed insiders have also revealed the producers are keen to turn back the clock on old JB, hopefully finding someone fresher-faced than on previous occasions. Within reason, of course. Michael G. Wilson recently narrowed the scope by stating there’s a definite age parameter.
“We’ve tried looking at younger people in the past. But trying to visualize it doesn’t work,” said Wilson.
“Remember, Bond’s already a veteran. He’s had some experience. He’s a person who has been through the wars, so to speak.”
“He’s probably been in the SAS or something. He isn’t some kid out of high school that you can bring in and start off. That’s why it works for a 30-something.”
In summary, the criteria for the next James Bond entails a youngish preferably British actor/British-passing actor hailing from the UK. Meaning you shouldn’t expect the likes of Michael B. Jordan, Chris Evans, or Tom Cruise like articles from other publications out there.
Here’s who the general public currently has in mind to replace Daniel Craig.
The Next James Bond: A Comprehensive List Of Potential Candidates [2022]
Tom Hardy
Known for: Bronson, Inception, Warrior, The Dark Knight Rises, Mad Max: Fury Road, The Revenant, Dunkirk, Venom [Too old]
What’s stopping him from becoming the next James Bond: Too old, profile too high, commitment to existing franchise(s).
Tom Hiddleston
Known for: Marvel Cinematic Universe (Thor, Avengers, Loki), The Night Manager, Kong: Skull Island [Too old]
What’s stopping him from becoming the next James Bond: Not quite the right age, profile too high, commitment to existing franchise(s).
Tom Holland
Known for: MCU (Spider-Man Trilogy, Avengers), In The Heart of The Sea, The Devil All The Time, Cherry [Too young]
What’s stopping him from becoming the next James Bond: On the young-looking side, profile too high, commitment to existing franchise(s), pedigree of roles.
Tom Hopper
Known for: Black Sails, Game of Thrones, The Umbrella Academy
What’s stopping him from becoming the next James Bond: Pedigree of roles.
Cillian Murphy
Known for: 28 Days Later, The Dark Knight Trilogy, Inception, Dunkirk, Peaky Blinders [Too old]
What’s stopping him from becoming the next James Bond: Too old, profile too high, commitment to other projects.
Richard Madden (Rumoured Favourite)
Known for: Game of Thrones, Bodyguard, Rocketman, MCU (Eternals)
What’s stopping him from becoming the next James Bond: N/A.
Nicholas Hoult
Known for: About A Boy, Skins, A Single Man, Matthew Vaughn’s X-Men Quadrilogy, Mad Max: Fury Road, The Great
What’s stopping him from becoming the next James Bond: Profile too high, commitment to other projects.
John Boyega
Known for: Attack The Block, Disney’s Star Wars Trilogy, Pacific Rim: Uprising
What’s stopping him from becoming the next James Bond: Profile too high, commitment to other projects.
Damian Lewis
Known for: Band of Brothers, Stormbreaker, Homeland, Billions [Too old]
What’s stopping him from becoming the next James Bond: Too old, profile too high.
Clive Owen
Known for: Closer, Sin City, Inside Man, Children of Men, Shoot ‘Em Up, Duplicity, The Knick [Too old]
What’s stopping him from becoming the next James Bond: Too old, profile too high.
Idris Elba (Potential Bond Villain)
Known for: The Wire, Luther, American Gangster, MCU (Thor, Avengers), Prometheus, Pacific Rim, Fast & Furious: Hobbs & Shaw, The Suicide Squad[Too old / Not interested]
What’s stopping him: Too old, profile too high, commitment to other projects.
**More on this later.
Sam Heughan (Rumoured Favourite)
Known for: Outlander
What’s stopping him from becoming the next James Bond: N/A.
Jamie Dornan
Known for: 50 Shades Trilogy, Belfast
What’s stopping him from becoming the next James Bond: Profile too high, commitment to other projects.
Michael Fassbender
Known for: Band of Brothers, 300, Hunger, Inglorious Basterds, Shame, Matthew Vaughn’s X-Men Quadrilogy, Prometheus, 12 Years A Slave, Steve Jobs, Assassin’s Creed [Too old]
What’s stopping him from becoming the next James Bond: Too old, profile too high, commitment to other projects (racing)
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Robert Pattinson
Known for: Harry Potter & The Goblet of Fire, Twilight franchise, Good Time, The Lighthouse, The Batman
What’s stopping him from becoming the next James Bond: Profile too high, commitment to existing franchise(s).
Regé-Jean Page (Rumoured Favourite)
Known for: Mortal Engines, Bridgerton, The Gray Man
What’s stopping him from becoming the next James Bond: N/A.
Riz Ahmed
Known for: Four Lions, Nightcrawler, Jason Bourne, The Night Of, Venom, Sound of Metal
What’s stopping him from becoming the next James Bond: Not quite the right age.
Harris Dickinson
Known for: The King’s Man [Too young]
What’s stopping him from becoming the next James Bond: N/A.
Dev Patel
Known for: Skins, Slumdog Millionaire, The Newsroom, Chappie, The Man Who Knew Infinity, Lion, The Green Knight
What’s stopping him from becoming the next James Bond: N/A.
George MacKay
Known for: 1917
What’s stopping him from becoming the next James Bond: N/A.
Luke Evans
Known for: Immortals, The Hobbit Trilogy, Fast & Furious Franchise, Dracula Untold, The Girl On The Train [Too old]
What’s stopping him from becoming the next James Bond: Too old, profile too high, commitment to other projects.
Aidan Turner
Known for: Being Human, The Hobbit Trilogy
What’s stopping him from becoming the next James Bond: Not quite the right age.
Theo James
Known for: Divergent Trilogy, The Time Traveller’s Wife
What’s stopping him from becoming the next James Bond: N/A.
James Norton
Known for: Happy Valley, Grantchester, War & Peace, McMafia
What’s stopping him from becoming the next James Bond: N/A.
Harry Styles
Known for: Dunkirk, MCU (Eternals),
What’s stopping him from becoming the next James Bond: Profile too high, commitment to other projects (music).
Jamie Bell
Known for: Billy Elliot, King Kong, Jumper, Snowpiercer, Turn: Washington’s Spies, Rocketman
What’s stopping him from becoming the next James Bond: N/A.
Chiwetel Ejiofor
Known for: Love Actually, Inside Man, American Gangster, 12 Years A Slave, The Martian, MCU (Doctor Strange), The Old Guard [Too old]
What’s stopping him from becoming the next James Bond: Too old, profile too high, commitment to existing franchise(s).
Paapa Essiedu
Known for: I May Destroy You, Gangs of London, The Lazarus Project
What’s stopping him from becoming the next James Bond: N/A.
Jack Lowden
Known for: ’71, War & Peace, Dunkirk, Capone
What’s stopping him from becoming the next James Bond: N/A.
Orlando Bloom
Known for: The Lord of the Rings Trilogy, Pirates of the Caribbean Franchise, Troy, Kingdom of Heaven, The Hobbit Trilogy [Too old]
What’s stopping him from becoming the next James Bond: Too old, profile too high, commitment to other projects.
Henry Cavill
Known for: Immortals, DC Universe (Superman, Justice League), The Man From U.N.C.L.E, Mission: Impossible – Fallout, The Witcher, Enola Holms, Argylle [Too old]
What’s stopping him from becoming the next James Bond: Not quite the right age, profile too high, commitment to other projects/franchise(s).
The Case For Henry Cavill To Play The Next Bond
In 2005, when the James Bond franchise was seeking a new direction, casting to replace Pierce Brosnan had been narrowed down to just two names. The first was Daniel Craig, who would eventually land the highly-coveted role and make his debut in Martin Campbell’s seminal Casino Royale. The other actor in serious contention was 22-year-old Henry Cavill, who reports now suggest has been “pushing” to become the next James Bond ever since the outgoing incumbent’s tenure saw an end in sight.
A key reason why he’d originally lost the part came down to age. While New Zealand director Martin Campbell – who also helmed GoldenEye – had apparently championed him, Barbara Broccoli, Michael G. Wilson, and the suits over at Eon Productions had ultimately decided an older face would be far more appropriate. Plus there’s no denying it would’ve felt ridiculous watching a uni kid portray the world’s most iconic spy. More recently, The Witcher lead himself revealed he wasn’t exactly in the best of shape at the time of the audition process’ final dash.
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“It was his tough love way of saying, ‘Look, mate, you’re in a Bond screen test. Next time you come to a screen test, really focus hard on making sure you lean up if it’s for something like Bond,’” Henry Cavill recalled being told in an exchange with Campbell.
“And I wasn’t by any means chubby, but I was probably overweight for taking my shirt off on camera.”
Given he’s now 38 years old – about the same age Daniel Craig was when he was cast; although that might work against him this time around – as well as having developed a reputation for being one of the most (if not simply the most) physically impressive specimens working in Hollywood right now, it’s safe to assume both critiques have soundly been resolved. But the case for Henry Cavill to finally become James Bond is far more extensive than simply fulfilling the criteria he failed fifteen years ago.
The justification essentially comes down to three core titles in his filmography: Man of Steet, The Man From U.N.C.L.E., and Mission: Impossible – Fallout. Keep in mind the single best justification would probably be the upcoming, star-studded action-thriller – Argylle – currently being adapted by Kingsmen creator Matthew Vaughn that’s on track to “re-invent the spy genre.” Unfortunately, neither the novel by Elli Conway nor the movie by Vaughn has been released, so we have no way of truly knowing.
Despite the large-scale ambitions of the Greek mythology-inspired epic, Immortals, it wasn’t until Henry Cavill took on the equally-storied mantle of Superman that he demonstrated major star power potential. Regardless of whatever your personal opinions are surrounding Zack Snyder’s instalment, or of the DC Universe as a whole (of which I’m aware is another discourse-rich area), Man of Steel added “handling a cinematic legacy role” and “crowd-drawing ability” to his CV.
James Bond as a fictional persona is comprised of two crucial dualities. It’s a balancing act that requires suave sophistication like that of Sean Connery, Roger Moore, and Pierce Brosnan; in contrast to a certain element of brutality, grit, and willingness to engage in the spit-out-some-blood, tear-your-tailored-shirt brand of violence – obviously best exemplified by Daniel Craig.
The former is what Henry Cavill showcased as Napoleon Solo (also a legacy role) in what many already refer to as an informal James Bond audition tape – Guy Ritchie’s The Man From U.N.C.L.E. Starring opposite Armie Hammer’s laconic and no-nonsense Illya Kuryakin, he exhibited all the roguish charms and devil may care attitude in the face of danger – Cold War danger, extra points – that practically screams classic Bond.
The latter is what was showcased by him in America’s answer to the James Bond series – Mission: Impossible – Fallout – as CIA double agent August Walker / John Lark. Serving as the film’s secret villain will instantly give your a sinister aura, but it was the way in which Cavill’s Walker / Lark operated with reckless abandon prior to the turn which really shined above all else. And you can’t tell me that entire bathroom sequence didn’t give you a little bit of a Casino Royale opening sequence vibe.
The bloke has pretty much been dancing around 007 without ever actually being offered the real deal. The far more compelling evidence which places Henry Cavill in pole position to become the next James Bond, however, lies in the franchise’s casting habits.
James Bond expert and author of Catching Bullets – Memoirs Of A Bond Fan, Mark O’Connell, outlined how incoming 007 actors were historically runners up at their auditions prior to hitting MI6 intelligence officer success (similar to the situation encountered by Henry Cavill).
“Roger Moore was considered for Sean Connery’s Dr No, Timothy Dalton was looked at when he was just 21 in the era of George Lazenby’s On Her Majesty’s Secret Service and later Diamonds Are Forever,” O’Connell explained to Express.co.uk back in 2019.
“They looked at everyone for Diamonds Are Forever, as they were slightly panicking [after George Lazenby turned down more Bond films after just one outing].”
Eventually, Connery was persuaded to return once more before passing the torch to Moore, who made his debut in Live & Let Die. You may also recall Brosnan landed the gig in 1987 for The Living Daylights before a contractual obligation tied to NBC’s cancelled-then-revived TV series, Remington Steele, forced him to tap out. Timothy Dalton stepped in until Brosnan was free to make a splash in Campbell’s GoldenEye in 1995.
So you see, all signs actually point to Henry Cavill. It’s to the point where even an artificial intelligence-assisted casting algorithm selected him to start swilling shaken martinis, driving Aston Martins, and pop unnamed henchmen with a Walther PPK after Daniel Craig.
“If [producer Barbara Broccoli] and Mike [co-producer Michael G. Wilson] were interested in that, I would absolutely jump at the opportunity,” Cavill previously told GQ.
“At this stage, it’s all up in the air. We’ll see what happens. But yes, I would love to play Bond. It would be very, very exciting.”
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Speaking to The Hollywood Reporter about his upcoming spy thriller Argylle – and for a feature article entitled ‘Why Henry Cavill Basically Already Is James Bond,’ no less – Kingsman director Matthew Vaughn explained why The Witcher star is the natural choice for anyone looking to cast their own 007.
“I needed someone who was born to play Bond — which Henry is — and then nick him before Bond did,” explained Matthew Vaughn, who apparently believes Argylle has monster franchise potential.
“He plays a larger-than-life action hero with a wink. It’s very different from Kingsman.”
Interestingly enough, Mission: Impossible director Christopher McQuarrie expressed a similar stance, stating how Henry Cavill would make an “excellent” Bond.
Sadly, in light of his full-time return to the DCEU as Superman, Henry Cavill is now out of the running.
Idris Elba Might Actually Star In The Next James Bond Film (Just Not As 007)
In a situation that’s eerily similar to learning you’ll be receiving two Christmas celebrations from here on out – right as dad packs up all his belongings into that moving truck parked in the driveway – there’s good news and bad news. Idris Elba has taken himself out of the running to become James Bond (read more about his surprising lack of desire here). The silver lining? He’s reportedly in negotiations for another major role — potentially the next Bond villain
The internet has, of course, been heavily speculating about Daniel Craig’s successor ever since it was confirmed No Time To Die would be his swan song. But the prospect of Idris Elba taking on the highly-coveted mantle of James Bond was shut down by none other than the big fella himself.
Speaking to ITV London on the red carpet event at last year’s London Film Festival (BFI Southbank) – where he was in attendance for the world premiere of Netflix’s The Harder They Fall; the Western flick produced by Jay-Z featuring an all-black cast – the 49-yer-old Luther star definitively put the rumours to rest.
“No, I’m not going to be James Bond.”
“How amazing would it be to have a black James Bond? It’s a sign of the times when we can stop talking about black, white, and colour.”
When asked about whether he’d like to be involved with the legendary spy franchise sometime in the future, he replied: “Who wouldn’t?” Now here’s where it gets interesting…
According to an unidentified inside source who spoke with The Sun, Idris Elba has been engaging in “informal talks” with the studio, the latter of which indicated “there is a role in the next Bond film for him if he wants it.”
“He won’t be the title character, but they do recognise the amount of pull and respect he commands, and they want to work with him on a completely original character for the next instalment,” noted the source.
“It is still very early days for the conversations but so far, it looks like it would be the role of a villain.”
